Navigating Between A Map Dialog And Button Controls Displayed Outside The Map

ABSTRACT

A method of interacting with a map displayed on a mobile device entails displaying a map in a map dialog on a display of the mobile device, displaying control buttons on the display but outside the map dialog, and receiving user input to switch between a map manipulation mode, where user input manipulates the map, and a control button mode, where user input enables navigation between the control buttons. In one implementation, switching between the two modes permits the same user interface element to be used for navigation/manipulation of the map and of the control buttons, depending on which mode is activated. In one implementation, clicking the track pad toggles between the map manipulation mode and the control button mode.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 61/364,517 filed Jul. 15, 2010.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to portable electronic devices capable ofdisplaying maps and, in particular, to wireless communications deviceswith mapping capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Portable electronic devices or mobile devices such as GPS-enabledwireless communications devices are increasingly popular. One of thepopular and useful features on these devices is mapping and GPS-basedreal-time navigation. In other words, these GPS-enabled mobile devicesare able not only to display labelled maps of any requested location butalso track and display the current location of the device, therebyenabling navigation and other location-based services.

The ergonomics of how the user interacts with the map displayed onscreenis very important, particularly on a mobile device with its small userinterface. This is especially important where a button control, or userinterface element, on the device is designated for use for interactingwith both the map and with other (non-map) onscreen elements.Accordingly, there is a continued need to improve the mobile device toprovide an intuitive and ergonomic user-map interaction interface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present technology will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in combinationwith the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a wireless communications device asan example of a mobile device on which the present technology can beimplemented;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart outlining some of the main steps of a method ofnavigating between a map displayed in a dialog onscreen and a pluralityof control buttons displayed onscreen but outside the map dialog;

FIG. 3 depicts an example of a map dialog in an initial state (“inactivefocus”) where the focus is initially on the Attach button (i.e. one ofthe control buttons outside the dialog);

FIG. 4 depicts an example of the same map dialog of FIG. 3 after thefocus has been shifted to the map dialog;

FIG. 5 depicts an example of the same map dialog of FIG. 4 after theuser has clicked the optical jog pad to enter into the mapedit/manipulation mode;

FIG. 6 depicts an example of the same map dialog in map edit mode(interactive state) where the hint overlay has been removed; and

FIG. 7 depicts an example of the same map dialog of FIG. 6 after theuser has again clicked on the optical jog pad to return to the controlbutton mode (i.e. the map dialog has returned to inactive focus).

It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like featuresare identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, the present technology provides an innovative technique foronscreen navigation between a map dialog displayed onscreen on a mobiledevice and a plurality of control buttons that are also displayedonscreen but outside the map dialog. Specifically, this techniqueenables the same user interface element, e.g. an optical jog pad, trackpad, or equivalent button, to be used for both map navigation andnavigation through the control buttons. The device may be toggled orswitched between the map edit mode (or map manipulation mode) and thecontrol button mode. Switching or toggling between these two modes maybe done by any suitable predetermined user input. For example, clickingon the optical jog pad may be used as the trigger to switch/togglebetween the two modes. Other user input mechanisms such as a dedicatedhot key, a sequence of key strokes, a touch-screen gesture, voicecommand, etc. may be also be used.

Thus, any aspect of the present technology is a method, performed on amobile device, of navigating between a map dialog displayed onscreen anda plurality of control buttons displayed onscreen but outside the mapdialog. The method entails'. This method of interacting with a mapdisplayed on a mobile device entails displaying a map in a map dialog ona display of the mobile device and displaying control buttons on thedisplay but outside the map dialog. The method further entails receivinguser input to switch between a map manipulation mode, where user inputmanipulates the map, and a control button mode, where user input enablesnavigation between the control buttons.

Another aspect of the present technology is a computer readable medium(or machine readable medium) comprising instructions in code which whenloaded into memory and executed on a processor of a mobile device causesthe steps of the foregoing method to be performed.

Yet another aspect of the present technology is a mobile device having amemory coupled to a processor for executing a map application on themobile device, a display for displaying a map dialog containing a mapand for displaying a plurality of control buttons outside the mapdialog, and a user interface for receiving user input to switch betweena map manipulation mode for manipulating the map in the map dialog and acontrol button mode for navigating between the control buttons. In oneimplementation, a track pad or optical jog pad is used to scroll or panthe map (when in map manipulation mode) and to navigate through thecontrol buttons (when in control button mode). In this implementation,clicking of the track pad or optical jog pad toggles the focus betweenthe map and the control buttons, i.e. switches the display between mapmanipulation mode and control button mode.

The details and particulars of these aspects of the technology will nowbe described below, by way of example, with reference to the attacheddrawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a wireless communications device 100as one example of a portable electronic device or mobile device on whichthe present technology can be implemented. The terms “mobile device” or“wireless communications device” are meant to encompass a broad range ofcellular or other portable electronic devices such as, for example,smartphones, cell phones, satellite phones, wireless-enabled personaldigital assistants (PDAs), wireless-enabled computing tablets,wireless-enabled laptops, etc.

As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the wireless communications device 100includes a microprocessor (referred to herein as a “processor”) 110operatively coupled to memory (Flash Memory 120 and/or RAM 130). Thedevice may include a SIM card 112 or equivalent. The device 100 has auser interface 140 which includes a display (e.g. an LCD screen) 150, akeyboard/keypad 155. A thumbwheel (or trackball or track pad or opticaljog pad) 160 may optionally be provided as part of the user interface.Alternatively, the user interface 140 may include a touch screen in lieuof a keyboard/keypad. The wireless communications device 100 includes aradiofrequency (RF) transceiver chipset 170 for wirelessly transmittingand receiving data (e.g. map data) and voice communications, e.g. via acellular network. The wireless communications may be performed usingCDMA, GSM, or any other suitable communications standard or protocol. Amicrophone 180 and speaker 182 (and/or jack for earphones) are providedfor voice communications.

As further depicted in FIG. 1, the wireless communications device 100may include a GPS chipset 190 (or other position-determining subsystem)to determine the current location of the device from radiofrequencysignals emitted by a plurality of orbiting GPS satellites. The GPSchipset thus enables navigation applications to be run on the device.

Although the present disclosure refers to expressly to the “GlobalPositioning System”, it should be understood that this term and itsabbreviation “GPS” are being used expansively to include anysatellite-based navigation-signal broadcast system, and would thereforeinclude other systems used around the world including the Beidou(COMPASS) system being developed by China, the multi-national Galileosystem being developed by the European Union, in collaboration withChina, Israel, India, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, Russia'sGLONASS system, India's proposed Regional Navigational Satellite System(IRNSS), and Japan's proposed QZSS regional system.

Another sort of position-determining subsystem may be used as well, e.g.a radiolocation subsystem that determines its current location usingradiolocation techniques, as will be elaborated below. In other words,the location of the device can be determined using triangulation ofsignals from in-range base towers, such as used for Wireless E911.Wireless Enhanced 911 services enable a cell phone or other wirelessdevice to be located geographically using radiolocation techniques suchas (i) angle of arrival (AOA) which entails locating the caller at thepoint where signals from two towers intersect; (ii) time difference ofarrival (TDOA), which uses multilateration like GPS, except that thenetworks determine the time difference and therefore the distance fromeach tower; and (iii) location signature, which uses “fingerprinting” tostore and recall patterns (such as multipath) which mobile phone signalsexhibit at different locations in each cell. Radiolocation techniquesmay also be used in conjunction with GPS in a hybrid positioning system.

References herein to “GPS” are meant to include Assisted GPS and AidedGPS.

This novel mobile device 100 has its memory coupled to its processor forexecuting a map application on the mobile device. The map application iscoded to generate the map in a map dialog onscreen as shown by way ofexample in the appended figures. This novel mobile device includes adisplay for displaying the map dialog containing the map and fordisplaying a plurality of control buttons outside the map dialog. Theuser interface of the device is adapted to receive user input to switchbetween a map manipulation mode for manipulating the map in the mapdialog and a control button mode for navigating between the controlbuttons.

In one specific implementation, the user interface comprises a trackpad, optical jog pad or equivalent for scrolling and panning the map andfor navigating between the control buttons, wherein a click of the trackpad or optical jog pad triggers switching between the map manipulationmode and the control button mode.

In one specific implementation, the device further displays navigationhints onscreen to indicate how to interact with the map in the mapdialog.

In one specific implementation, the device displays a highlighted framearound the map dialog to signify that the track pad or optical jog padmay be clicked to switch into map manipulation mode.

The map data for rendering the map onscreen in the map dialog may bedownloaded wirelessly using the radiofrequency transceiver 170 of thedevice 100 and/or may be preloaded or cached on the device. Map data maybe stored permanently in a non-volatile memory such as, for example,ROM, PROM, EPROM, Flash memory. Alternatively, a volatile memory suchas, for example, RAM (e.g. DRAM, SRAM) may be used to cache the map dataon the device after it is received from an outside source such as a mapserver.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart outlining some of the main steps of a novel methodof interacting with a map displayed on a screen of a mobile device. Themethod, in general terms, entails steps of displaying a map in a mapdialog on a display of the mobile device. The map dialog may be a box orwindow with an optional frame that surrounds the map to clearlydelineate the extent of the map. The method also involves displaying oneor more control buttons on the display. These control buttons arenon-map (or non-manipulating) control buttons in the sense that they donot cause scrolling, panning, zooming or other manipulation or editingof the map. However, these control buttons may interact indirectly withthe map in the sense that the control buttons may be used to attach amap data file for sending via e-mail, for example. These control buttonsare displayed off the map, i.e. outside the map dialog. Because the mapworld is navigationally infinite, i.e. it does not have an end and theuser can continue to pan or scroll indefinitely around the globe, it istherefore not possible to scroll or pan to the end of the map to exitfrom the map, as one might be able to do with a finite list or image,for example. Instead, scrolling or panning will continue indefinitelywith no apparent means of exiting from the map world. To exit from themap world, it is thus necessary to provide some form of predetermineduser input that cause the device to toggle (switch) from the mapmanipulation mode to the control button mode, i.e. to move between thetwo otherwise separate worlds (interface domains). Likewise, whenoperating in the control button mode, there must be a way to exit fromthe control buttons (control button interface domain) and move to themap (map domain). Accordingly, the novel method further entailsreceiving user input to switch between a map manipulation mode, whereuser input manipulates the map, and a control button mode, where userinput enables navigation between the control buttons.

In one implementation of this method, as depicted by way of example inFIG. 2, the novel method entails (at step 200) rendering, opening,launching or otherwise activating a map in a map dialog on a displayscreen of the mobile device. The map may be a vector-based map or abitmap. The display screen may be touch-sensitive or not, i.e. a regular(non-touch-sensitive screen). At step 210, the device receives userinput to place the focus on the map. This may be done by scrollingupward to highlight the dialog box as will be shown and described below.At step 220, the device then receives confirmatory user input to switchfrom control button mode (inactive focus) to map edit mode (alsoreferred to herein as map manipulation mode or active focus). At step230, the device receives user input to manipulate or edit (or otherwiseinteract with the map in the map dialog). In map manipulation mode, themap can be panned, scrolled, zoomed, annotated, etc. and updated asrequested within the confines of the dialog. At step 240, the device mayreceive further input to cause the display to toggle back to the controlbutton mode.

In one implementation of this novel method, the step of receivingselection input to switch between the map manipulation mode and thecontrol button mode comprises receiving a click on a track pad. Thetrack pad is also used for manipulating the map and for navigationbetween the control buttons. In other words, the track pad is used tonavigate between control buttons or other such user interface elementsthat are presented onscreen outside the map dialog. The track pad isalso used to navigate on the map presented inside the map dialog.Clicking of the track pad enables the user to toggle between mapmanipulation mode and control button mode.

In another implementation of this novel method, the user may use thetrack pad to highlight the dialog before clicking the track pad toconfirm the switch to map manipulation mode.

In another implementation of this novel method, the device also displaysnavigation hints onscreen to instruct the user how to interact with themap in the map dialog.

FIG. 3 depicts an example of a map dialog in an initial state (alsoreferred to herein as “inactive focus”) where the focus is initially onthe Attach button (i.e. one of the control buttons 300 outside thedialog 400. For greater certainty, the Attach and Cancel buttons are thenon-map (or non manipulating) control buttons 300. The dialog, window orbox containing the map is the map dialog 400. This figure shows thenovel technology implemented on a touch-screen or touch-sensitivedevice. It should be understood that the novel technology also works ona non-touch device having a track pad or optical jog pad.

In the example presented in FIG. 3, when the dialog opens, the focus ison the Attach button (as a default) for quick completion if the maporientation is acceptable to the user. Overlay hints state that the mapcan be modified by panning or zooming. Touch-sensitive device users maydo this directly. Users of optical jog devices will scroll up to themap.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of the same map dialog of FIG. 3 after thefocus has been shifted to the map dialog 400 from the external controlbuttons 300. When the optical jog pad has been used to place the focuson the map dialog, the message/hint changes to indicate that a click isnow required to toggle to the map edit mode (map manipulation mode or“edit mode” or “active focus”). The border or frame around the dialogmay be highlighted to signal to the user that the dialog has beenselected and now requires confirmatory input to confirm the selection.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of the same map dialog 400 of FIG. 4 after theuser has clicked the optical jog pad to enter into the mapedit/manipulation mode. The control buttons 300 now cannot be accessedby accessed by manipulating the optical jog pad. Touching the opticaljog pad now only provides user input to the map (e.g. scrolls or pansthe map within the map dialog). The control buttons 300 may be greyedout to indicate that they are presently inactive. As further depicted inFIG. 5, a new message/hint/instruction is provided on the overlay toexplain to the user how to scroll, pan, zoom, etc.

FIG. 6 depicts an example of the same map dialog in map edit mode(interactive state) where the hint overlay has been removed. In onevariant, if the optical jog pad or track pad is used and then there is apause (no further input), a prompt or hint may appear to indicate whatthe user may next do, e.g. “Click to enter your changes”.

FIG. 7 depicts an example of the same map dialog of FIG. 6 after theuser has again clicked on the optical jog pad to return to the controlbutton mode (i.e. the map dialog has returned to inactive focus). Inthis state, the highlighted frame or border around the map dialog isremoved to indicate that the map dialog is no longer in active focus.One of the control buttons, in this example the Attach button, may behighlighted to show that the control button mode is now active (and tofurther show that the Attach function has been tentatively selected forconfirmation by the user).

A settings, preferences or options page or menu may be accessible on thedevice to configure which predetermined key, button, user interfaceelement, key stroke sequence, touch-sensitive gesture, voice command orother user input that will be defined as the trigger causing the deviceto toggle between the two modes.

The foregoing method steps can be implemented in hardware, software,firmware or as any suitable combination thereof. The method steps may beimplemented as software, as coded instructions stored on a computerreadable medium which performs the foregoing steps when the computerreadable medium is loaded into memory and executed by the microprocessorof the mobile device.

This new technology has been described in terms of specificimplementations and configurations which are intended to be exemplaryonly. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that manyobvious variations, refinements and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the inventive concepts presented in this application. Thescope of the exclusive right sought by the Applicant(s) is thereforeintended to be limited solely by the appended claims.

1. A method of interacting with a map displayed on a mobile device, themethod comprising: displaying a map in a map dialog on a display of themobile device; displaying control buttons on the display but outside themap dialog; and receiving selection input to switch between a mapmanipulation mode, where subsequent input manipulates the map, and acontrol button mode, where subsequent input enables navigation betweenthe control buttons.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein thereceiving selection input to switch between the map manipulation modeand the control button mode is a click of a track pad where the trackpad is also used for subsequent input for manipulating the map and fornavigation between the control buttons.
 3. The method as claimed inclaim 2 wherein the receiving of selection input to switch between themap manipulation mode and the control button mode comprises using thetrack pad to place a focus on the map dialog before clicking the trackpad.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising displayingnavigation hints onscreen to indicate how to interact with the map inthe map dialog.
 5. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions incode which when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of amobile device is adapted to perform acts of: displaying a map in a mapdialog on a display of the mobile device; displaying control buttons onthe display but outside the map dialog; and receiving input to switchbetween a map manipulation mode, where subsequent input manipulates themap, and a control button mode, where subsequent input enablesnavigation between the control buttons.
 6. The computer-readable mediumas claimed in claim 5 comprising code that causes a switch between themap manipulation mode and the control button mode on receipt of a clickof a track pad where the track pad is also used for manipulating the mapand for navigation between the control buttons.
 7. The computer-readablemedium as claimed in claim 5 wherein the receiving of input to switchbetween the map manipulation mode and the control button mode comprisesusing the track pad to place a focus on the map dialog before clickingthe track pad.
 8. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 5further comprising code for displaying navigation hints onscreen toindicate how to interact with the map in the map dialog.
 9. A mobiledevice comprising: a memory coupled to a processor for executing a mapapplication on the mobile device; a display for displaying a map dialogcontaining a map and for displaying a plurality of control buttonsoutside the map dialog; and a user interface for receiving input toswitch between a map manipulation mode for manipulating the map in themap dialog and a control button mode for navigating between the controlbuttons.
 10. The device as claimed in claim 9 wherein the user interfacecomprises a track pad for scrolling and panning the map and fornavigating between the control buttons, wherein a click of the track padtriggers switching between the map manipulation mode and the controlbutton mode.
 11. The device as claimed in claim 9 further comprisingdisplaying navigation hints onscreen to indicate how to interact withthe map in the map dialog.
 12. The device as claimed in claim 10 furthercomprising displaying a highlighted frame around the map dialog tosignify that the track pad may be clicked to switch into mapmanipulation mode.